PELTOR Hearing Protection Optime 105 Earmuffs, E-A-Rfit Compatible, Assembly, Sanding, Grinding

I'm a little puzzled about the negative reviews listed here. According to the Technical Details: * NRR 28 dB * Twin-Cup neckband * Patented Twin-Cup design * Behind the neck design allows for easy use with hard hats According to the Product Description from the manufacturer: The Peltor Optime 105 Earmuff is recommended for very high noise level environments. Safe, comfortable and economical for all day protection. Note, this is the behind the head model. According to the Product Description: For Extreme Noise Levels Up To 105 Dba. Developed For The Ultimate Protection In The Most Demanding Noise Environments. The Optime 105 Features Added Mass And Volume, Plus A Unique Double Shell" Ear Cup Design (two Cups Connected Via A Foam Inner Layer To Reduce Structural Resonances) To Provide The Maximum In Noise Reduction Throughout The Full Range Of Low And High Frequencies. Ansi S3.19 1974/csa Z94.2.", Nrr 29 Db Uom Each Now I purchased these "behind the head model" for one reason and one reason only: To allow myself to have adequate hearing protection while using the Sperian Protection S8500 Bionic Face Shield for adequate eye protection while using my MS 460 STIHL Magnum(tm) Chain Saw as over the head ear muffs would not even come close to allowing me to wear adequate eye protection. And you know what, the combination of the Peltor H10B Behind-the-Head Earmuff with Neckband (Optime 105) and the Sperian Protection S8500 Bionic Face Shield while workable still came up short. But that was not the fault of the Peltor H10B Behind-the-Head Earmuff with Neckband (Optime 105) . And no I have tried safety glasses with both "over the head" and "behind the head" models and the "over the head" models makes wearing any type of protective eye wear much more difficult. And because I have a tendency to "fog" every conceivable type of eye ware (including anti-fog and scrapping soap on the inside of the lens) I have purchased every conceivable type of protective eye ware and they stay on much better with the "behind the head" models. (I did fix the problem by placing a Velcro scrap at the the bottom of the face shield then fastened the strap behind my neck which held the face shield in place). The Peltor H10B Behind-the-Head Earmuff with Neckband (Optime 105) does everything it is advertised to do and it does it well. Yes there is a Velcro strap that fits on top of your head and this does secure the ear muffs better, but even with my chain saw the ear muffs stayed on without using the Velcro straps. And these are not Tactical Hearing Protectors which block out harmful noise while amplifying low-level sounds and never claim to be. So to get these hearing protectors to "better hear" music or the spoken word makes no sense what so ever. While my personal preference for hearing protection remains "over the head" ear muffs, I doubt you could buy a better "behind the head" ear protection, especially at this price.

Having used several variations of 3M's Peltor series of over-the-ear hearing protection devices in the last decade, I can say that their quality is excellent and that they excel at making durable, serviceable equipment for working in high-decibel environments. This is the purpose of the product: to reduce damaging sound levels so that work can be safely performed in high noise environments. They are NOT designed for sleeping, to make quiet environments silent, or to block out annoying conversations and noises around you. They are made to prevent hearing damage and hearing loss, not to dampen down your brother's snoring in another room. Anybody buying them for any other purpose is setting themselves up for disappointment, and setting the product up for failure. Several negative reviews of the product reflect this attitude. So far as durability is concerned, they are all on par with any other similarly designed product that I have encountered. They are not "bomb-proof", so to speak. The ear pads will eventually give up and require replacement. This is normal. 3M sells a "hygiene kit" that replaces the pads and foam specifically to address this. The pads are designed for a good seal to the ears even while wearing glasses, and they accomplish this. They give good service, and I am speaking from the perspective of using them for 8 to 12 hours a day, on a daily basis, in heavy industry. My previous pair has held up for 6 years. The ear pads are starting to tear on the edges, but still provide a great seal. I only bought new so I could switch to a behind-the-head design. I highly recommend the brand and the product. Amazon's rating system for these is less than ideal, as these do not "cancel" noise, but merely attenuate it. Be aware of that when readings reviews. These DO NOT "cancel" noise.

These are AWESOME earmuffs! Super comfortable, fantastic noise reduction, and they don't mess up your hair or rub the top of your head. I use them with power tools and at my desk -- indoors, they block most sounds that would distract you, but allow a small amount of noise through so you don't feel deaf. If someone walks up directly behind you and speaks, you can hear them, and if you're using a PC keyboard, you can still hear faint clicking. If you tilt your head ALL the way back, the wire might make contact with your neck, but not in a way that's irritating. These earmuffs DO come with a strap that can be attached over the top of your head if you want to use it while wearing a hardhat (not sure why it's not shown on the product pictures) but it can be removed fairly quickly and easily if you pry off the outermost black ear foam pieces. The design is just about perfect in that the seal around your ears is tight without being TOO tight. The ONLY drawback I'd cite is that if you're working outside in really hot weather, you'll get some sweat build up between the ear cushions and your skin, and that can cause the ear muffs to start to slip down slightly. If you think that will be a problem for you, use the head strap or get the model with the over-the-head wires (I sometimes find that wearing the earmuffs upside down helps with sweat-induced slipping for some unknown reason). And I almost forgot -- I wore these on a recent airplane trip and they were terrific -- I was asleep within 5 minutes of putting them on, I felt a lot smarter and more frugal than people with their big-bucks Bose noise-cancelling headsets, and at the end of the flight, my hair wasn't messed up. :-) Yes, it IS possible to put ear-buds in your ears and then wear these headphones on top of them. Overall, I would buy these again and again.

Perfect if you want to wear a hat over your protectors. So, why only 4 stars? Only thing I'd like to see added is an adjustment for head width. This fits just by having a springy connection, which works, but I'd like to be able to adjust the head force. Otherwise, no complaints. Noise suppression is excellent.

I do lawn care professionally, so I want to have good hearing protection. I had previously used the over-the-head muffs and really liked how well they blocked sound. I decided to try the behind-the-head type so I could wear a sun hat or a face shield for when I use the blade on the weed whacker. I think the sound blocking is just as good as with the over-the-head type. They are a little more challenging to get on comfortably, but once they are there, they feel fine. The one issue is that they are rather bulky, so the face shield I bought doesn't work as well with them as I had hoped, but I don't use the face shield often so it's not a huge deal. Overall I am very satisfied with them and love that I can wear a sun hat with them.

I just bought these after buying and liking the fit of the over-the-top of the head cousin this spring. Before buying these, I've used Craftsman and Peltor brands since the 1980s. These all were well constructed and these new ones are no less. Probably these Peltor have better NR ratings because I'm looking for and buying better NR. But all of them eventually have the foam inside or the plastic ear surround air cushions harden and crack or just seam split and need to be replaced and I don't fault them for that. I've never found replacements for just these parts so have to just replace whole unit. Unless they are comfortable, you won't use them, so when you find a pair that works well for you, stick with them. Both styles of these are NOT light (not heavy, either, really, just more than less effective ones) and protrude out from head over ears more than many hearing protectors and even more than some other Peltor brand styles I've had. Aside from the hearing protection feature, another I like that these don't get in the way of wearing a hat and they stay in place better when stooped over your work for longer periods of time. One aspect of these that you cannot see in the picture is the adjustable strap that runs OVER the head, so it's really NOT just 'behind-the-head' - just the spring wires are such. I didn't think and still haven't decided that this is necessary, but I can see that they'd want some 'suspenders' for them. Some folks may not like having to work with both the over the head strap and the behind the head springwire when pulling these on when compared with the ease of just dropping the over-the-head cousins onto your head. But, I feel that everyone should have more good quality NR muffs around to have handy for chainsaw and lawnmower and woodshop tool use to cut down on hearing loss.

Excellent noise mitigation. I purchased them for use when I want to wear additional head gear, such as a face shield for grinding or a full brimmed hat while out in the sun doing tractor work. The "spring" on the back of the set holds the muffs tightly to your head but not so tight as to make it uncomfortable. Note that you will probably hit this same "spring" on your collar if you tilt you head back to look up, but that is common to others of this design.

I use these earmuffs for lawncare and the "behind the head" style let's me wear pretty much any hat I want, specially a boonie. A ball cap has to sit a little higher as the actual muffs are large. These provide a great noise reduction, although if you wear glasses, it's not quite as soundproof as if you didn't. They still work very well for me! They are very comfortable for wearing for a few hours on end and my earbuds fit inside with no issues! If I had to list some of my not favorite things, I'd say that they (probably any earmuff style) don't cancel quite as much with my glasses on vs off. And they do make me sweat just a tad and sometimes I have to adjust them. However, these are all mild issues and I am still very happy with these earmuffs!

Son cómodos y ayudan mucho con la reducción del ruido, el único inconveniente es que por el material sientes que se calientan, pero es preferible soportar eso al ruido excesivo

Very pleased Fit nicely even when wearing a hard hat Unlike the ones that clip onto the hard hard these I can use them outside of work As for the noise protection would definitely recommend them for generator or compressor rooms. And for more protection you can also wear foam ear plugs in addition to these

these are top quality, expensive but worth the protection they provide . Did not arrive until July 20th

Great hearing protection if only somewhat unsuited for prolonged periods as the weight causes them to slide down taking your ears with `em. Best used for short periods.

The sound proofing is really good and they have held a decent amount of time.